January 2011
85 posts
1 tag
New Projects All Day
It was a super exciting month, and we feel especially proud of this week’s crop of recently launched projects. From dancing on the Staten Island Ferry to criminal painters and human skulls, they cover a pretty varied and — frankly — badass array of subjects. Check ‘em out below, and make sure to spend some time finding your own over at our Discover page. Happy Monday!
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2 tags
The Museum Proper In Action
Early last year, professional puppeteer/occasional accordion player Dax Tran-Caffee raised funds for the debut show of his newly founded performance company, Busted Puppet. I was initially thrilled just to see Dax’s detailed concept sketches and his pretty stellar demonstration of a puppet prototype, so when I saw that he had posted a video of the final performance, I literally squealed...
Dirty Realism and the LA Writer
Having spent my early twenties pouring over the prose and poetry of rough-around-the-edges LA writers like John Fante and Charles Bukowski, it gives me a little twang of excitement to see a similar cigarette-in-hand LA-er coming to Kickstarter. Nick Miller’s out to self-publish Isn’t It Pretty To Think So?, a novel that rings with the Dirty Realist style that found its way into...
1 tag
Q&A with Freewheel creator Liz Baillie
Liz Baillie is a a cartoonist, illustrator, dog walker, and all around rad lady living in Brooklyn, New York. Her self-published web-comic, Freewheel, is the story of a young girl named Jamie who has embarked on a kind of “epic fantasy hobo adventure.” (I’m going to go ahead and assume you’ve already finalized your pledge.)
Always intrigued by a good epic fantasy hobo...
3 tags
Curious Silence; Cool Art
At the tail-end of last year, artist Jennifer Bastian used Kickstarter to fund the creation of a “domestic viewing structure”/art installation at the Brand Library in Glendale, California, as part of a larger gallery showing called “Curious Silence.” Interested in exploring the physical and emotional ramifications of separation, she had distributed a series of three...
2 tags
Kickstarter and the Sundance Institute
Thirty years ago Robert Redford founded the Sundance Institute to nurture and celebrate independent film. In the years since, the Institute has used its platform to launch the most prestigious film festival in the world; a groundbreaking labs series to develop promising screenwriters, producers, directors, and playwrights; and the careers of some of the most distinguished filmmakers in the history...
3 tags
Creators Educating Backers
You know a project is being run by a passionate creator when he makes an extra effort to educate backers about how Kickstarter works. Israeli musician David Broza just sent an update to backers thanking them for their support and encouraging them to spread the word to friends and fans, and he created this awesomely thorough how-to video that walks people through the entire process.
This...
2 tags
Return to Pancake Mountain
For seven years, Scott Stuckey produced the wondrous Pancake Mountain, an unparalleled ode to fun that reshaped the face of children’s programming, purely as a labor of love. Stuckey, a father of two and former music video director for the likes of REM and Minor Threat, had conceived the show as a non-pandering counterpart to more mainstream offerings like Barney — his mission was to...
3 tags
Black Magic Piano: The Story + Photos
Two years ago, filmmaker Edward Symes moved to New York City and, feeling spontaneously inspired, wrote a series of songs on the black grand piano that took up almost the entirety of his tiny West Village sublet. Figuring he could be onto something, he got in touch with musician Doran Danoff, and the two developed and recorded the songs together.
What materialized was not just an album but an...
1 tag
New Projects Are Infinite Greatness
Wow, you guys are sure keeping us busy! Not that we’re complaining — we love coming in on a Monday morning to find scores of newly launched projects to peruse. There is so much fresh, exciting stuff that we can’t wait to share. Check out a collection of our favorites from this week, below, and make sure to mosey on over to our Discover page to find even more for yourself. Enjoy!
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3 tags
The Making of the Glif
Last year, the Glif had an amazing run as a project, seeming to nail every aspect of what it takes to make a project succeed: a great video, good updates, and swiftly delivered rewards. Dan Provost and Tom Gerhardt, the creators behind the Glif, recently published a fascinating post-mortem on how they brought the Glif from idea to market in just five months, a feat that until recently would have...
1 tag
Creator Q&A: Ben Fama of Supermachine
Supermachine Poetry Journal is a indie literary publication endeavoring to give young writers and readers a place where they can voice their thoughts, collaborate, and share their work with the world. Now, after releasing two issues to much critical acclaim, they’ve turned to Kickstarter to support their 2011 “literary season.” Ben Fama is the editor and publisher of...
1 tag
Seattle, why don't we watch Firefly together?
For the past couple weeks there’s been a conversation unfolding on Reddit among fans of the short-lived but much loved sci-fi series Firefly. It began with a simple question (as I imagine Reddit conversations often do): “Seattle, why haven’t we watched Firefly together yet?” What unfolded was an overwhelming outpouring of support for a marathon group viewing, with people...
1 tag
Geek Project Roundup
Things have been looking mighty awesome for geeks, fans, and gamers on Kickstarter lately. We’ve got everything from sweet multiplayer FPS games to cosplay-inspired music videos and Whedon-inspired theater! All that’s left is for somebody, ANYBODY (*cough* Nathan Fillion *cough*) to bring back Firefly and that should pretty much cover the rest. In the meantime…
ORION: Prelude by...
1 tag
Geek Project Roundup
Things have been looking mighty awesome for geeks, fans, and gamers on Kickstarter lately. We’ve got everything from sweet multiplayer FPS games to cosplay-inspired music videos and Whedon-inspired theater! All that’s left is for somebody, ANYBODY (*cough* Nathan Fillion *cough*) to bring back Firefly and that should pretty much cover the rest. In the meantime…
ORION: Prelude by...
1 tag
Project Synergy: A Filmmaker Sources Musopen
Back in September of last year, Musopen successfully raised funds to record and release classical music into the public domain. One month later, LA filmmaker Joel Maguen launched a small project to fund his short film House Painting, and what resulted was a delightful synergy of the two: Maguen was able to source free music for his soundtrack from Musopen, which he calls “a truly...
1 tag
Project Synergy: A Filmmaker Sources Musopen
Back in September of last year, Musopen successfully raised funds to record and release classical music into the public domain. One month later, LA filmmaker Joel Maguen launched a small project to fund his short film House Painting, and what resulted was a delightful synergy of the two: Maguen was able to source free music for his soundtrack from Musopen, which he calls “a truly...
1 tag
New Projects Gone Wild!
We won’t keep you long — this week’s new project round-up is loaded with too many awesome things. Check ‘em out immediately! And you can always find more great stuff via our Discover Page. Happy Monday Tuesday, everybody!
Suburbia gone Wild a photo book project — by Martin Adolfsson
The rise of the middle class around the world brings with it the rise of an...
1 tag
New Projects Gone Wild!
We won’t keep you long — this week’s new project round-up is loaded with too many awesome things. Check ‘em out immediately! And you can always find more great stuff via our Discover Page. Happy Monday Tuesday, everybody!
Suburbia gone Wild a photo book project by Martin Adolfsson
The rise of the middle class around the world brings with it the rise of an ubiquitous...
1 tag
Creator Q&A: Heather Cummings' Tenderloin Bar...
It may be safe to say that nobody knows the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco better than Heather Cummings. Or at least, nobody knows the bar scene better. Heather’s on a mind-boggling mission to visit every single bar in SF (latest estimate close to 500, apparently), which she documents on her blog, The San Francisco Bar Experiment.
Her Kickstarter project hones in...
1 tag
Creator Q&A: Heather Cummings' Tenderloin Bar...
It may be safe to say that nobody knows the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco better than Heather Cummings. Or at least, nobody knows the bar scene better. Heather’s on a mind-boggling mission to visit every single bar in SF (latest estimate close to 500, apparently), which she documents on her blog, The San Francisco Bar Experiment.
Her Kickstarter project hones in...
4 tags
Best in Show: Project of the Year
Save Blue Like Jazz by Steve Taylor
On September 16th of last year, New York Times-bestselling author Donald Miller updated his blog with a post that began, “The book that swept the country will not sweep theaters.” The book in question was Blue Like Jazz, Miller’s influential collection of essays he had since adapted into a screenplay. Why wasn’t the movie happening? “It’s really hard to...
5 tags
Best in Show: Reward (Experience)
Comix Journalism: Send Ted Rall to Afghanistan
Journalist/cartoonist Ted Rall spent this past August reporting from Afghanistan, using a satellite phone to upload reports from the ground. The recipients? Not the New York Times, Village Voice, or the hundreds of other outlets that have featured his work. Instead the reports were sent directly to the 211 Kickstarter backers who funded his...
4 tags
Best in Show: Reward (Object)
Handmade Theremin Wristwatch, Musical Robots are Ready for the next OCTANT Release
Matthew Steinke is Octant, a one-man band featuring a slew of homemade, robotic instruments. His project was to release his new album on vinyl, but one reward in particular really caught our eye: a homemade Theremin watch. Matthew demos the watch at the one minute mark of his video, and it’s a mind-blowing...
3 tags
Best in Show: Project Video
I Am I by Jocelyn Towne
It’s not surprising that the best project video comes from a talented filmmaker, but in the case of Jocelyn Towne’s I Am I, the project video ended up becoming a memorable short film in and of itself.
Like many project videos, the scene opens unassumingly with Jocelyn speaking to the camera about her film. The camera follows her from room to room,...
4 tags
Best in Show: Post Mortem
Art Space Tokyo by Craig Mod
Craig Mod’s post-mortem “Kickstartup” of his project Art Space Tokyo hit us like a ton of bricks (or art books). Not only did the renowned designer exquisitely document the production of his fabulous book — a $65 reward pre-ordered by 155 backers — but he provided a thorough and honest analysis of his and others’ Kickstarter projects. Craig went into such depth that...
4 tags
Best in Show: Overall Project Updates
Open Locksport by Schuyler Towne
After watching Schuyler Towne’s “Open Locksport” video, we were, like many others, curious about the relatively obscure world of competitive lockpicking. But if anyone could make locksport a household name, it would be Schuyler, whose unabashed enthusiasm for the sport eventually attracted the support of over 1000 backers and inadvertently launched his...
1 tag
Best in Show: Project of the Year
Save Blue Like Jazz by Steve Taylor
On September 16th of last year, New York Times-bestselling author Donald Miller updated his blog with a post that began, “The book that swept the country will not sweep theaters.” The book in question was Blue Like Jazz, Miller’s influential collection of essays he had since adapted into a screenplay. Why wasn’t the movie happening? “It’s really hard to...
5 tags
Best in Show: Reward (Experience)
Comix Journalism: Send Ted Rall to Afghanistan
Journalist/cartoonist Ted Rall spent this past August reporting from Afghanistan, using a satellite phone to upload reports from the ground. The recipients? Not the New York Times, Village Voice, or the hundreds of other outlets that have featured his work. Instead the reports were sent directly to the 211 Kickstarter backers who funded his...
4 tags
Best in Show: Overall Project Updates
Open Locksport by Schuyler Towne
After watching Schuyler Towne’s “Open Locksport” video, we were, like many others, curious about the relatively obscure world of competitive lockpicking. But if anyone could make locksport a household name, it would be Schuyler, whose unabashed enthusiasm for the sport eventually attracted the support of over 1000 backers and inadvertently launched his...
3 tags
Best in Show: Project Video
I Am I by Jocelyn Towne
It’s not surprising that the best project video comes from a talented filmmaker, but in the case of Jocelyn Towne’s I Am I, the project video ended up becoming a memorable short film in and of itself.
Like many project videos, the scene opens unassumingly with Jocelyn speaking to the camera about her film. The camera follows her from room to room,...
4 tags
Best in Show: Post Mortem
Art Space Tokyo by Craig Mod
Craig Mod’s post-mortem “Kickstartup” of his project Art Space Tokyo hit us like a ton of bricks (or art books). Not only did the renowned designer exquisitely document the production of his fabulous book — a $65 reward pre-ordered by 155 backers — but he provided a thorough and honest analysis of his and others’ Kickstarter projects. Craig went into such depth that...
4 tags
Best in Show: Reward (Object)
Handmade Theremin Wristwatch, Musical Robots are Ready for the next OCTANT Release
Matthew Steinke is Octant, a one-man band featuring a slew of homemade, robotic instruments. His project was to release his new album on vinyl, but one reward in particular really caught our eye: a homemade Theremin watch. Matthew demos the watch at the one minute mark of his video, and it’s a mind-blowing...
4 tags
Best in Show: Project Update
Glif - iPhone 4 Tripod Mount & Stand by Dan Provost and Thomas Gerhardt There’s nothing more satisfying than watching your reward being assembled right in front of your eyes, especially when it’s done by hand by the creators themselves — and time-lapsed! Dan Provost and Thomas Gerhardt launched their project Glif, a clever tripod mount and stand for the iPhone 4,...
4 tags
Best in Show: Project Update
Glif - iPhone 4 Tripod Mount & Stand by Dan Provost and Thomas Gerhardt There’s nothing more satisfying than watching your reward being assembled right in front of your eyes, especially when it’s done by hand by the creators themselves — and time-lapsed! Dan Provost and Thomas Gerhardt launched their project Glif, a clever tripod mount and stand for the iPhone 4,...
3 tags
Best Art Project
EyeWriter by TEMPT1 and Zach Lieberman
Named one of the Best Inventions of 2010 by Time Magazine, the Eyewriter is an ingenious synthesis of open-source eye-tracking technology and drawing software. A famed graffiti artist stricken with Lou Gehrig’s Disease named TEMTP1 inspired the creation, and the project video shows the paralyzed artist using their invention to “tag” buildings in Downtown...
3 tags
Best Comic Book Project
Cursed Pirate Girl by Jeremy Bastian and Thomas Negovan
When Jeremy Bastian and his publisher Thomas Negovan launched a project to print a collected edition of Cursed Pirate Girl, the response from Jeremy’s fans was swift and determined – this was a book they couldn’t wait to see. Jeremy’s fans had always been a patient bunch, willing to wait up to a year for each...
3 tags
Best Dance Project
Illuminate by Indelible
Indelible Dance Company did everything right with its campaign for Illuminate, a modern dance work about the Big Bang that featured an original score and specially designed sound-sensitive LED costumes. Riding on its mission to “create work with the awareness that the Internet exists and that it is an integral part of experiencing art,” Indelible offered backers a...
3 tags
Best Design Project
Lumi Co. by Jesse Genet and Stephan Angoulvant
Young, LA-based designers Jesse Genet and Stephan Angoulvant earned widespread acclaim in 2010 for their design partnership Lumi Co. The pair engineered a new textile printing technique that prints vivid, photo-realistic images onto natural materials — without any chemical treatment. Backers could receive unique, limited-edition goods with...
3 tags
Best Fashion Project
The Future Is Shiny by Design Glut
Liz Kinnmark and Kegan Fisher are Brooklyn-based designers whose work has already landed them in the MoMA store (a creation called “Egg Pants”), and their Kickstarter project unveiled a flirtatious new line of jewelry. The girls won us over with their enthusiasm and positivity, not to mention their frequent glossy updates about the forthcoming collection.
...
3 tags
Best Food Project
Fresher Than Fresh Snow Cones by Lindsay Laricks
Lindsay Laricks has peddled all natural snow cones out the window of her Kansas City-based food cart for years, cultivating a loyal community around a menu of handcrafted, crazy flavor combinations like “ginger rose” and “watermelon basil.” Such idiosyncratic charm is a plus in any project, but Linday goes above...
3 tags
Best Documentary Film Project
TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay — Away From Keyboard by Simon Klose
Just as the three iconoclastic founders of The Pirate Bay were preparing to appeal their conviction in a Swedish court, a fellow Swede named Simon Klose launched a Kickstarter project to tell their story. Memorably pitched from the back of a rickshaw winding through Cambodian city streets, Klose’s approach to The Pirate Bay...
3 tags
Best Narrative Film Project
Putty Hill by Matt Porterfield
Putty Hill director Matt Porterfield spent years on a project called Metal Gods — winning awards for its script and recruiting a cast of non-actors from malls and local metal shows — before funding (what else?) fell through at the eleventh hour. From the ashes of Metal Gods came Putty Hill, a brilliant film that weaves narrative storytelling and...
3 tags
Best Short Film Project
Josephine and the Roach by Jonathan Langager
Josephine is trapped in a bad marriage to brutish husband Moe, the melancholy sounds of her accordion her only escape. Roach is, well, a cockroach who has fallen hard for Josephine, quietly accompanying her playing with his own violin. Their romance and courtship are the subject of Jonathan Langager’s electric short combining live-action footage...
3 tags
Best Art Project
EyeWriter by TEMPT1 and Zach Lieberman
Named one of the Best Inventions of 2010 by Time Magazine, the Eyewriter is an ingenious synthesis of open-source eye-tracking technology and drawing software. A famed graffiti artist stricken with Lou Gehrig’s Disease named TEMTP1 inspired the creation, and the project video shows the paralyzed artist using their invention to “tag” buildings in Downtown...
3 tags
Best Game Project
Infinite Blank by Evan Balster
20-year-old Evan Balster had an idea for a game, one where gameplay was neither about winning nor losing, but about the joy of playing and creating without restriction. There would be no trophies or status points, level-ups or final bosses, only an infinite blank canvas where players would draw their own worlds and explore the worlds of others. It was a ...
4 tags
Best Journalism Project
Comix Journalism: Send Ted Rall Back Afghanistan to Get the Real Story by Ted Rall
Independent journalist/cartoonist Ted Rall used Kickstarter to fund a return trip to Afghanistan, where he composed in-depth reports in the form of cartoon strips and uploaded them via satellite phone. His story is incredible — he went into Afghanistan with no formal protection, no guarantees, only an...
3 tags
Best Music Project
The Best Bleu CD Release by Bleu
In 2010 alone there were more than 1,140 successful music projects on Kickstarter, but one project in particular stands out: Bleu. The singer-songwriter, who has toured with John Mayer and written songs for the Jonas Brothers and Hanson, among others, came to Kickstarter after dealing with the type of red-tape only the music industry (or US gov’t) could serve...
3 tags
Best Short Film Project
Josephine and the Roach by Jonathan Langager
Josephine is trapped in a bad marriage to brutish husband Moe, the melancholy sounds of her accordion her only escape. Roach is, well, a cockroach who has fallen hard for Josephine, quietly accompanying her playing with his own violin. Their romance and courtship are the subject of Jonathan Langager’s electric short combining live-action footage...
3 tags
Best Documentary Film Project
TPB AFK: The Pirate Bay — Away From Keyboard by Simon Klose
Just as the three iconoclastic founders of The Pirate Bay were preparing to appeal their conviction in a Swedish court, a fellow Swede named Simon Klose launched a Kickstarter project to tell their story. Memorably pitched from the back of a rickshaw winding through Cambodian city streets, Klose’s approach to The Pirate Bay...